The first lady of South Korea was secretly photographed receiving a lavish gift, a handbag from luxury brand Dior valued at $2,200.
Although the position of the South Korean president, Yoon Suk Yeol, is not in danger, the parliamentary elections will be held in three months and may weaken his position.
The media in South Korea has already made headlines and accusations, all because of the luxury handbag.
Kim Kaun Hee was captured on a hidden camera receiving the luxury bag as a gift.
The photo was published by the Voice of Seoul news website, known for its staunch opposition to the Yoon government.
2/ The first lady Kim Keon Hee has already faced a string of allegations, incl.
plagiarism re: her academic writings, stock manipulation, and tax evasion.
There was also the resume padding scandal.
Recently, she was caught on camera receiving an expensive Dior bag as a gift.
pic.twitter.com/VaWhtLfHiX
— Raphael Rashid (@koryodynasty) January 22, 2024
According to the law in South Korea, public servants and their spouses are prohibited from receiving gifts worth more than 748 dollars.
The penalty for receiving expensive gifts could cost Kim three years in prison.
Kim claimed that she refused the gift, but the person who gave it claims that she accepted it.
The photo and the story behind it led to a political crisis both outside and within Yun's party, with several senior officials calling on the president's wife to apologize, one even comparing her to Marie Antoinette.
Since her husband was elected president of South Korea, Kim has stated that she does not intend to live in his shadow.
She is mostly known for the fight she led to ban the breeding of dogs for food, but apart from that, this is not the first storm she has caused.
The president of South Korea and his wife, photo: AFP
In 2021, she publicly apologized for falsifying her resume to promote her art exhibitions.
Later that year, a recording of her calling her husband "stupid" was released.
There is no doubt that the new storm surrounding the Dior case creates quite a headache for her husband.
In a survey published by a local news channel, 69% of respondents said that Yoon should explain his position regarding the acceptance of the case.
Last week, Han Dong-hoon, who until recently served as justice minister and is considered Yoon's closest aide, said that while the Dior handbags scandal was "a planned scheme to bring down the first lady, there were some oversights in the handling of the matter."
"If the first lady did receive a prestigious portfolio, she cannot avoid people's criticism. If the president had apologized for it from the beginning, things would not have looked like this," an article in the local press said.
"He didn't, and the problem has now reached its worst for him."
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